Hi-

I'm building up something of a clunker to be a bad-weather commuter bike. It seems that Uniglide rear hubs are cheaper and more available, and I was wondering why.

As far as I understand (from Sheldon Brown and word of mouth), one main difference between Hyperglide and Uniglide is that the HG shifting mechanism allows the chain to engage the target sprocket as well as the original sprocket. And for a time there were HG and UG compatible hubs. The actual gear cluster assembly is different, too (HG is the current standard: one big cassette with a lock ring that screws into the inside of the hub; UG was 5 gears then a cog that screwed in and a lock ring that screwed over that), I believe.

So if I go ahead and buy a rear wheel with a UG hub, with the cassette and lock ring already in place, I should be good to go, right? As long as the hub / freewheel / gear cluster / lock ring are in decent condition, can I slap any ol' 3/32" chain on there and be fine to ride?

Any information is welcomed, and any correction of misconceptions in the above is welcome, too! Also, if this is in the wrong forum, please redirect.

Thanks!